Tea Leaves And Amber
by Queria
Summary: She felt his arms wrap around her waist, his head looming above her left shoulder. He was so close to her that she could feel his warm breath clinging to her cheeks and smell the faint scent of his cologne. It reminded her of tea leaves and amber. J/M.
1. Encounter with the Possessed

**Tea Leaves and Amber**

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><p>The first time it happened, they were investigating a love hotel.<p>

She was walking with him along the corridors, her senses going overdrive with the number of spirits roaming the velvet-decorated hallways. Most of the spirits she encountered on cases were stricken with sorrow - bound to the places they very dreaded. The ones present at the hotel actually seemed happy to be stuck in such a place. One ghost passed her, a woman in her late twenties. And then another, a man this time. More and more, she sensed weak spirits coming frequently the more they treaded ahead. She looked around, confused with the sensation that filled her. A gust of soft, cold wind swept past her back, raising the hairs on her nape. Such things were rendered impossible in a hallway without windows. She shivered inwardly, despite being quite used to such experiences.

All of a sudden, she felt his arms wrap around her waist, his head looming above her left shoulder. He was so close to her that she could feel his warm breath clinging to her cheeks and smell the faint scent of his cologne. It reminded her of tea leaves and amber.

Subtly sensual, she noted.

But then again, knowing his personality, he probably didn't realize the overtones of his choice. Oddly, she liked it.

His arms moved, and ran up and down her sides. She tensed. Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, she shifted away from him. It became apparent to her moments ago when he whispered upon her ear that John was possessed. She mused over the fact that he failed to exorcise a weak spirit in time to stop it from entering his body. Almost instinctively, she started to pray.

Needless to say, it ticked the ghost off.

It was the spirit of a young man, most likely in his teenage years; it was carefree and playful, almost to the point of being completely child-like. Masako would have pondered over the sadness of dying at such an early stage of one's life if she wasn't currently occupied by the lips occupying her lips.

She was taken aback, literally, as she stumbled backwards and softly hit the wall. This amused the ghost even further, seeing as the priest had smiled into the kiss. Oh goodness. She just stood there, not knowing what to do otherwise. It was only until John - err, the spirit, tried to shove the priest's tongue down her throat that she had gained enough consciousness to push him back. She blushed furiously, muttering her ritual prayer as fast as she can, while trying to keep nasty thoughts about the priest at bay. She wanted to strangle him for his stupidity and recklessness. How dare he let some... amorous (she blushed even more at the thought, if that was possible) spirit take over his body? He was supposed to protect her, damn it!

Masako liked to think that she could handle exorcising spirits herself, and that Naru only sent people to go with her just to make sure she was safe. She also liked to disregard the fact that these people were probably hired to take care of the exorcism, just as she was wanted for her abilities as a medium.

She felt the ghost evaporate as she said the last of her prayers.

Personally, she didn't think she can continue to look at John the same way after their little... encounter. She hated to admit it, but she was a bit put off by his boyish charms from the moment she saw him at that school. Not to mention how considerate and attentive he had been to her when she got pushed off the stairs during one of their cases.

That, and his stupid (she hated to admit to herself that it was endearing) Kansai accent, of course.

Now that she had shared her first kiss with the forbidden fruit (he was a priest, for heaven's sake!), she didn't know how to act without the urge of hiding behind her kimono sleeves anymore.

"Ugh."

His voice was raspy, and it sent her over the edge. She jumped a bit.

_Hiding behind the sleeves._

"Are you ok, Hara-san? You don't seem too well."

"I'd hate for that to be the case, _Father John_," she cringed as her voice broke, "why would I not be perfectly fine?"

He must have noticed her unease (and very weird phrasing) as he cocked his head adorably to his side. _Adorably._

"Are you sure?"

Yes she was sure! Other than the fact that (1) it was an adorable priest and not a specific handsome researcher who kissed her for the very first time, (2) said priest have no recollection of the said kiss, and (3) she was flustered from her head down to her toes, why would she not be _perfectly_ fine?

"Actually, no," she hid her reddened cheeks from his view, "I can't breathe probably. Can we go back to the base?"

It wasn't necessarily a lie. She couldn't really breathe; she felt like the velvet-lined walls were caving in on her and it was as if the spirits were rampant and were screaming inaudibly. That, and she couldn't afford to stay in a secluded area of the hotel alone with the priest either. She could almost see the danger sign hanging above John's head.

He silently agreed and walked closely beside her. Knowing John for about a year now, he probably thought he was doing her a favour by seeing to it that she felt supported as they walked towards the base. Normally, she appreciated the apparent company whenever she felt disconcerted by spirits, but now was not a normal time.

She really wished she was with somebody - anybody else except this man.

A few minutes of awkward silence (for her), they neared the base, only a few more doors and one turn to the corridor to the right. That was when she felt _it_.

She was a medium, and it was a usual experience for mediums to be possessed by spirits. Sometimes, if the medium had a strong enough control of her conscious, she can resist being completely blocked off by the spirit. This was one of those cases.

The next thing she knew, she had an insatiable desire of kissing the very same person she wanted to be away from.

Oh my.

She was on the verge of dying from embarrassment. If John would not sense the presence of the spirit in the next five seconds, she was going to bury herself alive.

One more step…

Luckily for her, though, John's acute senses started kicking. Once she felt the heavy weight of the ghost off her body, she heaved a huge sigh of relief. She fell to her knees.

The woman who possessed her was not especially remarkable. She was another lowly spirit who was casually strolling the hotel and decided it was time to play fun and games. It was the events that preceded her possession that caused her to lose her stability.

Her fear was that if John had responded even a few seconds later, she might have considered kicking herself. Or maybe move to another prefecture. Or both. She was extremely grateful for the fact that John had no memories of their previous encounter, else, she might have to face working with a man who cannot bear to look at her without resembling an overriped tomato.

The young priest kneeled down beside her, panic evident in his boyish features. He was checking her condition without actually touching her – a bout of shyness Masako was thankful for. She didn't think she could resist the temptation.

_Wait, what temptation? _She crooked her eyebrows at the thought.

She surprised herself when she was able to respond with a proper "no need" after John offered to help her get back up. She honestly didn't think she could muster enough sanity to do so.

When they got back to the base, Mai was looking at her funnily. After asking her what was wrong, to which she responded with a nonchalant "nothing," (after gaining her much-needed composure, she was able to exercise her talent in acting once again, thank heavens) she sat down, obviously but not suspiciously away from where John sat. Mai came up to her and offered her a handkerchief. Wondering why, she lookep up from Mai's hand to her face.

"You're sweating up. Here."

She didn't even realize the change in her perspiration. Slightly, she shook her head and brought out her own handkerchief, murmuring a soft _thank you_ to Mai's direction.

"What happened out there? You look really shaken up!"

She stressed apprehensively, nervously smiling as if her gesture would appease her inquiry.

"I'm fine, really. The hallways were a bit stuffy," then, as if remembering the purpose of her being there, quickly added, "A lot of spirits were roaming around."

John walked towards her, a glass of water in his hand. She cautiously accepted the gift. _As long as he doesn't find out about what happened, nobody else has to know. _She smiled at him for his consideration.

"I'm sorry." Masako accepted his apology, understanding that he was probably saying sorry for his inability to ward off the spirit before it took a hold of her body. She shrugged it off, waving her hand in dismissal.

That night, before going back to the girls' room, she passed by John in the hallways. _The same hallway where she had been possessed, and was in danger of giving the innocent priest a good smack. _Awkwardly, she bid him a good night's sleep.

_He'd better be_, she bitterly thought. _He was spared the indignity of remembering what the heck happened between them today. _She, on the other hand, had to go to sleep dreaming of tea leaves, amber, and forbidden blonde fruits.

In his defense, it wasn't an entirely bad dream.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading, everyone! I hoped you liked it. I might continue creating more 'encounters' like this for the pairing (isn't it obvious I adore them?), but I don't know. I don't really write on a scheduled basis, so I apologize if I don't update regularly. :(**

**That aside, I don't own the characters of Ghost Hunt.**


	2. Chocolate Cakes and Strawberries

**Tea Leaves and Amber**

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><p><em>"Who's this cutie you were spotted with yesterday?"<em>

_"I've heard you went on a date with that boy next door from Spring Kisses?"_

_"Hara-san, call me when you get this message."_

_"So... Masako-san... Celebtalk says you've got this thing going on with Kazuki Nigita?"_

_"Hey! Long time to talk, sis! I'm having a wonderful time here in Barcelona. How about you? Let's talk sometime, 'kay? Send father my regards. Adios!"_

He could almost laugh. Kazuki Nigita?

"What are you so happy about?" Masako inquired from behind her kitchen counter, extracting the final piece for her chocolate cake - strawberry. She made her way over to where he was sitting in the patio, setting two plates of dessert on the table.

"Nothing, nothing," he grinned, setting her phone down on the table as well. She looked at him funnily, and grabbed her phone.

"Hmph," she muttered, seeing her voice mail menu opened, "snooping around, are we?" He only smiled at her, and cocked his head to side. She sighed, and thought of caressing his cheeks. She shook her head and laughed at herself inwardly. "You know these gossip aren't true, don't you?"

He hmm-ed in reply and added, "of course I do. I'm sorry for sneaking a peek on your cellphone". She sat down on the chair opposite his. She observed him for a few moments. He seemed... tense. She sliced a small portion of her plate with her fork and set it down gently, chewing as she did so.

"Is something the matter?"

He responded with a quick shake of the head, and went back to scraping the icing off his cake. "... No?" She furrowed her eyebrows at this.

"No? John, you were never a good liar." What's wrong? "Are you bothered about something?"

He was about to say no, when a voice urged him to do otherwise. "It's nothing... just tired."

"You're a priest. It's been three weeks since our last case. What could you be tired about besides working for SPR?" Three weeks since that..._ that..._

"Umm... " he stuttered, and tried to laugh his way out of the conversation. Unfortunately, Masako won't budge. "It's nothing big, really. I don't know, I guess I'm just out of it."

Or, you could just be jealous, Masako thought, but didn't express it. She continued eating her cake - delectable chocolate - and tried to make polite (with a hidden agenda, of course) conversation with the young man. "You know... My manager talked to me about arranging a meeting with Kazuki-san. It seems our managers want us to go in an interview together."

"Really?"

"And my manager also told me about this movie opportunity with him."

"Isn't that nice?" he smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Masako snickered.

"Ever since the paparazzi caught us together in that cafe, news have been piling up." She thought she saw something flicker behind his eyes, but in a split second, it vanished.

"..."

"For someone born into the industry, you'd think he would be a brag, but Kazuki-san is actually a very nice man."

Kazuki Nigita is an eighteen-year-old child actor, aptly titled "brown-eyed-angel" by the mass media. Masako ran into him at the local confectionery store when she was buying baking chocolate, and he offered to treat her to coffee. Gossip had spread like wildfire ever since.

"John? What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

"I'm fine."

Doesn't seem like it. After accidentally stumbling upon a footage of their... encounter (Naru offered to give it to him, and she believes he buried it somewhere, perhaps the local cemetery), John invited her out for lunch, as a way of excusing his actions. Masako would've thought he would avoid her, even ignore her existence, but she had been proven wrong. There was more to the priest than meets the eye, apparently.

The (non-romantic) dates started after that. No matter how much Masako tried to convince herself that theirs was a purely platonic relationship, there still lingers a small shadow of doubt on their supposed friendship. At times, during their (non-romantic) dates, she could see him staring at her out of the corner of her eye. More often than not, whenever she steals a glance at him, she could find him already looking at her. It could get a little bit creepy sometimes, but generally, it's just _butterflies_.

There was this one time, while she was talking to him on the phone, there prevailed a very awkward silence between them. Masako couldn't explain it, but she felt like something changed between them during those few silent seconds.

And then there was this other time, when they were sitting on the park benches, and there were children from his parish playing on the grounds. One child came up to them and asked him to play with them. John, of course, relented, and dragged her into it as well._ Dragged, because she would never admit to herself that she would gladly play with children as long as he joins. _The children were running everywhere while the two were waiting for their turns, when suddenly, a kid with pigtails bumped into her. If she was wearing her zori then, she wouldn't have lost her balance. It was too bad she decided to go with casual clothes on this date; she wore heeled wedges, an attempt to at least decrease the difference in their height. Said wedges sent her stumbling down, bringing John with her.

Needless to say, they suffered in yet another awkward moment when she buffered for a few moments before deciding to get off his chest. Both reddened like roses in bloom.

"Are you fairly certain?"

She'd learned more about the priest in these three weeks they have spent together going on (non-romantic) dates than all of the times they've worked on cases together.

"Can we move on? I'm fine, Hara-san, really."

"Are we back to the last name nomenclature now?"

"... Look, I don't really know what you want me to say..."

"I want you to tell me what's inside that head of yours," other people would've thought she was demure, like a flower, sweet and soft. Or a cat. But during times like these, when her (non-romantic) friend gets on her nerves, _she's cat-demure_. Sweet, yes, but definitely not soft.

"And I'm telling you, I'm fine!" John tried to utter with a smile. He managed, however forced it looked like, but it's still a smile, right?

"..."

"What?"

"Stop lying. It doesn't suit you."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"I thought priests were supposed to be honest." _Spot on_, Masako. Spot on.

"I - fine." He sighed, and gingerly placed a hand on his forehead. "I think..."

"Yes?"

"I think it's... nice that... something good comes out of the rumors."

Seriously? That was the best line he could think of? Something good comes out of the rumors?

"Oh, bite me," she spat out, ticked off by his obvious lie.

John clearly wasn't in his best game, either. "I did what you asked of me - I told you what I was thinking of. What more do you want?"

In the three weeks of getting to know him, this was the first time John exhibited hints of anger. She'd seen him get frustrated before (the waiter was clumsy enough to spill water on him), and this was far from frustrated.

"I want you-" she half-wondered what would happen if her sentence stopped this short - "to tell me the truth."

"And what truth would that be?"

"That you were bothered by the rumors of me and Kazuki?"

"With all due respect, Hara-san, I don't see how that could bother me."

"You were jealous!"

If only Mai could see her now... She would've wept in pride. 'Get out of your stupid shell!' she says. Now, she was completely devoid of it.

John tensed, stunned into silence. _Somebody clearly hit a nerve._ Those awkward moments? This one topped it all off. Masako's heart thumped loudly in her chest, and she breathed heavily. She didn't think she was that courageous.

"And if I am?"

Oh dear.

Masako gulped. She didn't know how to respond to _that_.

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><p><em>AN: I'm so sorry for cutting it short! ;) And sorry for the very very very slow update. I really hoped you enjoyed it! Here's a little preview for the next chapter._

**She kissed back, tangling her fingers into his wavy hair. She didn't know why they were doing this, or how they got into this kiss, but she sure as hell wasn't regretting any of it. _He tastes like chocolate_, she thought, and smiled into the kiss. Suddenly, he stopped.**

**"Oh. My."**

**No amount of lunch dates can ever excuse _this_.**

_That's it for now, I guess. :) Do stay tuned! And thank you for everyone who reviewed the first chapter! :D Gave me a little insight as to how to proceed. _


	3. Blue Eyes and the Jade Kimono

**Tea Leaves and Amber**

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><p>I wouldn't say I know my daughter's every affair, we were never really close, per se. Or rather, not as close as mothers and daughters usually should. What can I say? After her father divorced me for a gold-digging skank (pardon my less than polite words), Masako kept to herself. And I, as well.<p>

Masako had always been a beautiful child. I was very proud of her grades in school. Her success in the showbiz industry did not bother me at all. She was unlike other teenage girls - refined, sophisticated... A trait I don't dislike, but generally, don't approve of. Uptightness was Kirihito's forte - he passed on to his daughter the notion of never slouching, keeping the face blank, minimizing side-comments, and talking only when necessary. Although I myself grew up in a household of formality, it was through my ex-husband that Masako learned to be a living doll.

Kirihito bought her her first kimono when she turned five - Masako was thrilled. He said that she was no longer a baby, but a princess, who should always watch what she says and does. I remember Masako's enthusiastic nod, eager to please her father.

Back then, I didn't think Masako would be a lady at such a young age. Sometimes I worry if she even knows how to enjoy herself. She never mentions any of her friends' names, nor do I ever see her going out with them. There was this one time she asked me for permission to go to her classmate's house for a group project - she was back in an hour and a half's time, saying they finished early and she went ahead. She certainly never bought any friends back at home, especially not since Kirihito and I went our separate ways.

It came as a surprise to me when she said she was bringing someone over. I was surprised, but I wasn't going to say no. I didn't think having a bunch of girls her age over at the house would be a bother.

I certainly didn't expect it to be a boy.

He was from Australia, he said. John Brown, blonde, several inches taller than Masako, blue-eyed. I assumed he was not from her school, since he was not wearing the same uniform as my daughter. Masako left him in the living room and she went by herself to her room to change; wise decision, otherwise, I'd have him thrown out of the house.

This was a chance to feed my curiosity.

"So, young man. What's your name again?"

"Ah, I'm John Brown, ma'am. You must be Masako's mother."

Masako._ No honorific?_ "Yes. The name's Masami. How do you know my daughter, Brown-san?"

"Please, call me John. People rarely call me by my last name," he said with a sheepish look on his face. I suppose this 'cute' trend is what most teenagers today would find attractive? "We worked on several cases together. I'm an exorcist."

"I see." Well that's a shock. He looked too young to be an exorcist. But then again, Masako's sixteen and an experienced medium. "How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen, Hara-san." Another surprise. I thought he looked as young as Masako did.

"Where do you come from? You're not from Japan, correct? America? England?"

"Actually, I'm from Australia. But I get that a lot," the boy grinned at me. He seems to be a happy person, though he looks uncomfortable. I wonder why. There a few silent, awkward moments, and I popped another question.

"And what are your intentions with my daughter?" At that point, he became obviously flustered. Did I hit a spot?

"I… Err.. Masako and I are only friends, Ma'am."

I smirked at this. Yeah right. "I see."

Masako went down sooner than expected, wearing a jade kimono I never see her use often. More suspicions. She glanced at me subtly, before leading John Brown onto the patio. I took several slices of chocolate cake from the fridge (leftovers from Masako's baking experiments) and washed a few strawberries on the process. I set it down the kitchen counter and gestured over to my daughter with a slight wave of the hand.

I left them in peace for a few moments. Despite my efforts to keep my thoughts elsewhere – I tried to continue my embroidery, and it turned out to be a mess – it dragged back to the two people doing kami-knows-what outside my patio.

I struggled between spying on them through the glass portions of the wooden door and shutting my inner voice out. Turns out Masami's Conscience couldn't be silenced. I hurried over there as quietly as I could, and peered.

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><p>"What if I am jealous?" John asked, a guilty look on his face. He looked so troubled with this expression. Masako tried hard to keep her heart from beating too fast, lest it thump right out of her chest. Sensing she wasn't going to reply to his inquiry anytime soon, he turned away from her, a hand covering his face.<p>

He turned back to her a few seconds later, a smile on his face. It looked so innocent and fake, Masako was almost convinced.

Almost.

"If you are, then why?" she asked, looking up to him through her lashes. "Why are you being jealous? It's not as if we're…"

"You're right. And I'm not jealous – I was merely asking you what would happen if I was," at this point, he was smiling at her so hard it looked like it hurt his cheeks. "We're not together. It's not as if you have no right to date someone like-"

"I don't love him, John." She declared, taking a few steps towards him. "I'm not dating him. Like I said, those rumors are not true." Masako didn't know why she felt the need to reassure him she was not seeing someone else. She just felt like she should.

"I know. I'm just saying, that should you ever start dating someone, I wouldn't say anything against it."

"Of course you wouldn't. You have no reason to." She was now up front with John, her eyes interrogating his. She scrutinized every part of his face.

His reply to her was a vague smile.

"Don't you?" she asked further, raising one of her eyebrows before it turned into a frown.

"I…" he was breathing heavily now, and it looked like he was torn between dashing out of the room and staying rooted to the ground.

"Don't you?" she pressed on, subconsciously tiptoeing so that they were on an eye-to-eye level (although she was not able to reach his full height). The tension between them was tangible. She could feel her palms sweat up.

Before she could even repeat the question, he leaned down ever so slightly, almost kissing her, but stopping a few millimeters short. His pupils were large as saucers, as if he was watching from outside his body, and had no control of his actions.

It was she who closed the gap between them. She kissed him gently, hesitantly - exactly how she would describe a first kiss. Except it wasn't her first kiss. John reluctantly (and awkwardly!) put his right hand onto her cheek and caressed her skin. She kissed back, tangling her fingers into his wavy hair. She didn't know why they were doing this, or how they got into this kiss, but she sure as hell wasn't regretting any of it. _He tastes like chocolate_, she thought, and smiled into the kiss. Suddenly, he stopped.

"Oh. My."

They both looked towards the door to see Masami with her jaws dropping.

This was going to be a looong day.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm very sorry for the long update. I had school stuff to do and I'm running for valedictorian so I had to set my priorities straight. :( Please bear with me.**

**This chapter is dedicated to a person whom I love dearly, and Naemlezz Reedr, whose love for Masako I understand perfectly well. Cheers! **


	4. Red and White Faces

**Tea Leaves and Amber**

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><p>There were very few moments in life that managed to upset John. When he was a child, his sister pushed him into the adult pool; when Nina died, his mother blamed him for her death; once, a child from the orphanage spilled tea on him during an Easter celebration.<p>

He wasn't sure if he's feeling upset right now, or just greatly disturbed. He had been walking around the same block for the past 15 minutes, unsure of what to do. Masami had been flabbergasted - he wasn't sure whether she was furious or just surprised. He didn't even know what had happened between the younger Hara and him. One minute, Masako was pressing him into admission of jealousy, and the next, they were -

_He wasn't even jealous, really._

No, really. That Kazuki-person is nothing but another co-worker of his friend. It wasn't that he was jealous. He was worried, yes. Worried that this celebrity would create an issue that would make the press hound his friend. He was definitely, undeniably, absolutely not jealous.

As if there's something to be even jealous about. They're just co-workers, after all. Gossip is overly-sensationalized. They tend to make big things out of the little things, like an assumption of two people being in a relationship when they were just out for coffee, as co-workers. It was an exaggeration of something that was barely there. And plus, if his friend was even remotely attracted to this man, she would tell him, right?

Masako and him had been having a closer friendship these past few days. Their encounter during the previous case was an embarrassment, but it was something they had gotten past. He acknowledged his wrongdoing and Masako had (thankfully!) accepted his apology and overlooked it. After that, he made it a point to remove any awkwardness between them by getting them more comfortable with each other. It seemed to work. He believed there really is more to her than what people would see.

He wondered what would happen to them now.

He shouldn't even be thinking about her. He was ashamed of himself. He was considered to be above temptation - above such worldly desires. He was taught not to give in to your desire and yet here he was, committing what could possibly be the worst mistake of his life. The first time was an accident he couldn't have prevented. But this -

He never intended to kiss her. No, he never would've thought of ever kissing those lips. But then something primal inside of him, something needy and aggressive burst forth until his own body moved against his better judgment. It didn't help that she reciprocated. No, in fact, it made matters worse, now that he thought about it. Had she rejected him, had she only pushed him away, he would've been ashamed enough of his actions right then and there. Had she rejected, he would have felt the whole gravity of the situation, and his mind would not be thinking of reasons why this is not wrong.

A little part of him, a tiny-tiny cell, perhaps, screamed _she kissed you first, idiot!_ He squashed the thought entirely. It didn't matter who initiated the kiss. The point was that they did kiss, and it's unrighteous, it's inexcusable, it's despicable and wrong in so many levels. For one, even if he wasn't a member of the church, they weren't even together!

She was sent as a test, and he failed.

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><p>Her mother was furious. Masako had never seen her mother so furious before, she could swear she had seen her turn red in the face. She was actually scared of her.<p>

It's not as if she yelled at them. Quite the contrary. She dropped whatever she was holding (Masako didn't pay attention to what that was) and promptly blushed a very angry red. And then silently, she pointed at John, who looked like he was about to faint any second, and said "out". That was enough to rattle the poor man. He looked at her with fearful and guilty eyes, hesitant to leave, and she nodded, allowing him to go. He needed to get out of there before Masami contemplated having someone kick him out.

"Mind enlightening me on what happened?" her mother said with a reprimanding tone, almost cold. Her stomach dropped. "You're lucky your father isn't here to see this."

The mention of the esteemed patriarch sent shivers down her spine. Her father was a cold, cold man. Ruthless in business and even more so in these matters. She had accepted long before she reached her adolescent years that her future would be decided by Kirihito, who had the best say in the matter. _The only say_, if she was to be truly honest.

Masami was still looking at her squarely in the eye, and she had the urge to look away, but she thought against it. "I'm sorry. I-"

"You never even told me you had such a cute boyfriend!"

_Wait, what?!_

"And so nice, too! And you kept him a secret all this time?"

Now she was confused.

"But I thought you - you didn't approve of relatio-"

"Why sweetie, no! Who am I, your father? Please," she waved her hand in the air, approaching the obviously shaken daughter.

Masako furrowed her eyebrows. She had no idea what was happening. All that her mind was processing was that her mother was talking gibberish.

"Jsdankjsjeedfk... Lksljda! Askld. Odklfkams!" All she can see was Masami's mouth moving up and down. And she approached her in what Masako saw as a swerving, drunken manner. The furniture around them moved, and the next thing she saw... well, she couldn't really remember.

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><p>John hadn't expected Masako to call him so quickly. In fact, he hadn't expected her to call at all. Ever. He figured she was probably mad at him for even doing what he did. It was his fault - why didn't he resist, after all?<p>

"... Hello?" he answered hesitantly, wondering if getting the call was a good idea. There was a shake in his voice, a sweat running down his forehead. He gulped.

"Brown-san?" He paled upon hearing the voice, his eyes widening, his face turning a significant shade of white.

"Y-yes?"

"Would you mind coming over? And please hurry." John was not able to reply for a few seconds, stunned at the sudden invitation from Masami. Didn't she just ask him to leave about twenty - fifteen - minutes ago? Masami hung up, probably impatient to wait for his answer.

He turned back towards the house. He was barely three blocks away from the Hara residence, thankfully. Not that far.

He wondered what could possibly prompt this invitation. He was almost too scared to come.

_Okay, so maybe he was a little scared._

**A/N: Hello there! I'm still alive. Albeit, a little half-dead... I'm so sorry. **_  
><em>


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